Henry Blacker - Summer Tombs (Album Review)

Album Type: Album

Date Released: April 18th 2015

Label: Riot Season Records

Summer Tombs – Track Listing

1. Cold Laking

2. Million Acre Fire

3. Shit Magus

4. The Grain

5. Landlubber

6. A Plague

7. Summer Tombs

Band Members

T (bass)

RF (drums)

TF (guitar & voice)

Review:

14 months after releasing their debut album - Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings - to critical acclaim - Noisy Heavy Rockers - Henry Blacker - return with their eagerly awaited follow up - Summer Tombs. Nothing much has changed from their celebrated debut album as Henry Blacker is still the same noisy and raucous Stoner/Sludge/Dirty Blues Rockers with a passion for the distorted riff. Opening track - Cold Liking - is a snarling ugly beast of a track with the band in fine form playing dirty fast paced riffs.

Fans of QOTSA will find much to enjoy here and even a time to reminisce when QOTSA were the kings of dirty lo-fi Stoner Grooves. Henry Blacker have taken that sound and made it their own with an underlying Punk/Noise Rock vibe that only enhances their great sound. The clean based vocals have a distinctive dark tone to them as once the band get going Lead Vocalist - TF - shows his true menacing identity. There's a lot more going on within Henry Blacker that's very hard to describe. Parts Stoner, Noise, Sludge, Punk and Hard Rock for one strangely addictive sound. Probably why they are signed to ace UK Record Label - Riot Season Records - who have a reputation for signing the weirder bands of Stoner/Noise/Sludge Rock.

Anyway back to the album. Summer Tombs runs for a brisk 29 mins and it means that the band have a short space of time to impress you with. It's a good job they succeed on all counts. By the time second track - Million Acre Fire - starts you're already rocking out with Henry Blacker as these guys know how to have fun. The fast-paced distorted noisy tempo doesn’t really change that much as this song has the perfect balance of loud vs. quiet riffs. When Henry Blacker turns their attention to Psychedelic Rock this album takes a life of its own.

The album has a schizophrenic feel as it doesn't know what it wants to be and that's the beauty of the album. It's an uncompromising blend of experimental rock where NOISE is the key. It's just so damn addictive that's impossible not to fully enjoy yourself. Third track - Shot Magus - sees the band more colourful humour come to life as they write some interesting lyrics to match the more violent riffs. One moment this song is blasting intense Sludge Rock vibes and the next it changes into good old fashioned noisy Desert/Stoner Rock riffs. Though Henry Blacker return to their more volatile punk/sludge rock guises.

If you're a fan of Torche then Henry Blacker will appeal to you as they share a few similarities with that band. Mainly writing short paced heavy blasts of angry Sludge Rock songs that will get you jumping and singing along to their lyrics. Plus Henry Blacker has the same talent of Torche of turning a quiet paced song into an all out loud sludge-tastic riot. Check out 4th track - The Grain - for more evidence of this as the band once again expertly blend quieter rock moments with the heavier Sludge/Stoner Rock riffs. Maybe I've shouldn't be providing a track-by-track commentary as this album is just one blistering exercise in volume and noise that a lot of you are going to crazy about.

Summer Tombs is full of great ideas that Henry Blacker explore to their full potential. if you want NOISE, RIFFS and MAXIMUM SLUDGE ROCK CARNAGE then Henry Blacker will welcome you with open arms. The last parts of the album and especially the vocals have a certain Josh Homme sensibility to them and that's no bad thing. The vocals courtesy of TF are superb through out. Though he impresses the most on the final two tracks - A Plague and Summer Tombs.

Summer Tombs is a 7 minute epic where Henry Blacker unleashes one final slab of heavy Sludge Rock punishment. This song has a more caustic approach compared to the others but it's still the standout track on the album as it has a few dark moments to unsettle you with. Like the lyrics on Summer Tombs repeatedly tell us - I Thought We Have More Time - I wish we did as well Henry Blacker as even though I love your album. Just one more song would have been fantastic. Summer Tombs is an absolute blast from start to finish. It's even a better album than their debut album. Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Andy at Riot Season Records for the promo. Summer Tombs will be available to buy on CD/DD from Riot Season Records from April 2015. There is a Vinyl Edition coming out but this is a UK Record Store Day Vinyl Exclusive Only. Limited to 300 copies. Any copies that remain unsold will be sent back to Riot Season Records and sold from their website.

Words by Steve Howe

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Henry Blacker - Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings - Album Review

Henry Blacker
Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings

Riot Season
February 3rd 2014

The Band Is:

t (bass)

rf (drums)

tf (guitar & voice)

The Songs:

A1. Crab House (3:32)
A2. Pullin’ Like A Dray (3:50)
A3. Your Birthday Has Come And Gone (4:06)
A4. My Majesty (3:11)
B1. Scumblood (2:47)
B2. Pearlie (5:43)
B3. A Bone & A Thistle (3:06)
B4. Temple Controls (3:40)

Band Bio:

"HENRY BLACKER are a rock band, a three piece, two from the group HEY COLOSSUS and a brother on the drums. These are the times they thought, let’s: WHOOP AND A HOLLER. Recorded August 2013 for £450 by Westminster Brown (Tim Cedar, Part Chimp) at the legendary Dropout studios, South London whilst a man from Torche watched on."

Album Review

So Riot Season have released another crazy insane band from a very original band indeed. They impressed the hell out of me in 2013 with records by Bad Guys, Mainliner and Dethscalator. Now those crazy bastards are back in 2014 releasing a debut album from another bunch of crazier bastards by the name of Henry Blacker.

Featuring two members from Hey Colossus in their ranks. This is very far removed from that great band as Henry Blacker deals in hard-rocking Sludge/Stoner/Blues/Boogie Rock riffs from the past 30 years. Do you miss the brilliant and earlier days of Queens Of The Stone Age when they used to write great songs packed with awesome riffs you could rock out to.

Well folks you can rejoice as Henry Blacker are here to save the fucking day with their excellent new album - Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings. A 30 minute blast of finely tuned fast-paced riffs that will have you rocking out from the very first second.

First track - Crab House - is the perfect introduction to these great rockers as it shows what their music is all about. Sludge/Stoner Rock played through a 70's Boogie/Hard Rock Blender. Imagine ZZ-Top jamming with QOTSA and that should give you the impression on what to expect. Though the album definitely has it's own identity and unique charm of it's own.

Second Track - Pullin' Like A Day - embraces the legendary Desert Rock Scene with a groove laiden dirty Sludge Rock vibe that gives this track a dark delicious edge. The vocals have a delightful menace to them as TF plays a dual character here. Law-Abiding Citizen one moment and demented madman the next. He can be all nice and polite but wait until the very end when he becomes a different person altogether. Awesome stuff.

Third Track - Your Birthday Has Come and Gone - is my fave track on the album as it's a completely fucked-up rock song embracing the albums more dangerous edge. Sludge Rock, Hard Rock and Stoner Rock combine to show these guys are definitely in a league of their own. Play this track at full blast and embrace the darkness lurking through those Dirty Puddings!!!

Henry Blacker keep up this crazy style of fuzz drenched dirty riffs that even pays homage to bands such as Harvey Milk, The Melvins, Pixies and Kyuss. And it's still so god-damn original. Henry Blacker have delivered more riffs in 30 mins than some bands won't be able to produce in their entire career.

I loved every minute of this album. It's a fucking blast from start to finish. The albums later tracks such as Scumblood and Temple Controls shows why the UK Sludge/Stoner Rock scene is thriving at the moment. It's thanks to great bands such as Henry Blacker that I want to hear more albums like this. And hopefully Andy at Riot Season Records will continue releasing brilliant albums like this.

This album is a riot. It's going to win a huge following within the Sludge/Stoner Rock scene.

Brilliant. No Question.

Thanks to Andy at Riot Season Records for sending ourselves a promo to review. Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings will be released on Feb 3rd 2014 on CD, DD and Limited Edition Vinyl LP (500 Copies, co release with Learning Curve Records (USA) with each label getting half the pressing)

Check The Band From Links Below

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